Early on in the play Pythia describes the furies and how they look, which is pictured above. Pythia describes them, "These have no wings, I looked. But black they are, and so repulsive. Their heavy, rasping breathing makes me cringe. And their eyes ooze discharge, sickening, and what they wear- to flaunt that at the gods, the idols, sacrilege! even in the homes of men. The tribe that produced that blood I never saw, or a plot of ground to boast it nursed their kind without some tears, some pain for all its labour " (Lines 54-62). This paints a detailed picture of the furies, which they seem to be beings you would never want to run into. From this description they represent wrath and misfortune, because just above the description Pythia knew the furies because she had seen a photo of them taking the feast away from Phineus (Line 53). The furies represent vengeance, and they play the role of getting vengeance for the death of Clytaemnestra, who was murdered by her own son after she had killed her husband, Agamemnon, because he killed their daughter Iphigeneia. All Clytaemnestra wants is for her death to be avenged, which is the purpose the furies serve. Their only goals are to destroy life and strip away joy (Line 433 and 435). However, Apollo wants to protect Orestes from the furies and helps him get away from them. Eventually, after Orestes is hunted down by the furies a trial is held to determine if Orestes is innocent or guilty. In the end Orestes is sent away free from this blood feud and Athena turns the furies into the Eumenides, which means the "kindly ones" (Dictionary.com). As the furies they clearly are the representation of vengeance, anger, pain, matriarchy, old deities, and the old law. When Athena transforms them at the end of the play they become the representation of kindness, joy, peace, and Athenian Law. The journey of the furies is a representation of the transition from the old primitive Greek society, which was on the basis of instinct, to the new modern democratic society, which was governed on the basis of reason. This play was written to demonstrate what was occurring in society at the time, which is clearly seen in this play.
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November 2021
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